Review Archive

The music of James J Turner has an immediacy that demands attention, the combination of biting lyric and a richly powerful vocal give his acoustic rock-tinged songs an edge it’s hard to ignore. His latest EP ‘James J Turner, Singer-Songwriter’, is a stripped bare, man-with-guitar piece of work that once again takes you close to his narrative touch.

The compelling lyrics of ‘The Cycle of Life’ move you far beyond the more superficial views of life’s rotation, to a depth that reaches out to encourage understanding. There’s a reflective quality of observation to ‘Heaven’s Inside You’ that holds a clear understanding of fate, a striking sincerity to ‘Rattling The Chains’ exposes one man’s view on life, its dreams and nightmares,and to conclude‘Kalahari Rain’ offers a singular plea for hope, with a warning to hold onto your beliefs no matter what. So the listener is left wondering, is this just a preview of what’s to come in the summertime or a facet of Turner’s work that allows us privileged glimpses of the man and his music? Whatever the answer it’s a prelude to appreciate.

This EP is unadorned, man and guitar, voice and passion, nothing else there, nothing else needed. The songs have no previous album links and will not become part of the expected album, they stand alone as a perfect example of one man’s bardic qualities weaving narrative into something outstanding – musician and storyteller combined. 'James J Turner, Singer-Songwriter’ sums it up to perfection … keep a look out for the album, website: http:www.jamesjturner.com.